The Kalashnikov assault rifle, better known as the AK-47, and its variants comprise one of the largest groups of firearms on earth. It has been estimated that over 90 million of these firearms have been produced in dozens of countries since their introduction in the Soviet Union in 1946. Developed primarily as a military weapon, the AK-47 became famous for its simplicity of operation and reliability in extreme conditions of use. Because of its mild recoil, the AK-47 has the capability of delivering effective full-automatic fire at a range of 300 meters.
The AK-47 has a few problems that make it less than optimal for use as a weapon of war. One of these, a lack of means to hold the bolt open after the last round is fired from its magazine, was solved by the bolt locking mechanism described in my previously issued U.S. Pat. No. 7,261,029. A currently unresolved problem, however, involves the construction of an AK-47 for the exclusive operation of either a right- or a left-handed user. Thus, a right-handed user can have a difficult time aiming and firing a left-handed AK-47 (made by cutting the charging handle from it normal spot on the right side of a bolt carrier and welding it onto the left side of the bolt carrier) and a left-handed user can have a tough time operating a right-handed AK-47.
For optimum shooting performance, it is important that a user hold an AK-47 by the pistol grip with his strong hand and while looking at the intended target through the sights. (The strong hand of a right-handed user is his right hand, and the strong hand of a left-handed user is his left hand.) To initiate the firing of an AK-47, a bullet is driven from a loaded magazine into an empty chamber by: grasping the AK-47 by the pistol grip with the strong hand, pulling the charging handle to the rear with the weak hand, and then releasing the charging handle. If the configuration of an AK-47 causes a user to hold the pistol grip with his weak hand, the charging process is slowed and a steady aim is lost.